Prospective Students

Veterans and HBS

Harvard Business School (HBS) is consistently ranked among the foremost business schools in the world. With its mission of "Educating leaders who make a difference in the world," it looks for candidates who display a habit of leadership, analytical aptitude and appetite, and engaged community citizenship. As such, veterans bring a variety of valuable skills to the HBS community, and find the case method particularly well-suited to complement the skill sets that we have honed in the military.

If you are interested in applying to HBS and are coming from a military background, the Armed Forces Alumni Association can be a great resource, especially as you seek to transition from the military into the private sector. Please do not hesitate to contact an AFAA RC Admissions officer as you begin your application process. In the introductory email, please outline your branch of service, MOS/function, and any other information that may help us provide personalized feedback.

Admissions/Prospective Students

Harvard Business School (HBS) is consistently ranked among the foremost business schools in the world. With the mission of “Educating Leaders who make a difference in the world,” it looks for candidates who display a habit of leadership, analytical aptitude and appetite, and engaged community citizenship. As such, veterans bring a variety of valuable skills to the HBS community, and find the case method to be particularly well-suited to complement the skill sets that we have honed in the military.

If you are interested in applying to Harvard Business School and are coming from a military background, the Armed Forces Alumni Association can be a great resource, especially as you seek to transition from the military into the business sector. Please do not hesitate to contact an AFAA RC Admissions officer as you begin your application process. In the introductory e-mail, please outline your branch of service, MOS/function, and any other helpful information pertaining to application.

Visiting HBS

Visiting HBS is a great way to become better informed about HBS as you make your way through the application process. Having the opportunity to talk to students in person and sit in on classes will help you assess whether HBS is a good fit for you and will allow you to speak more intelligently about the school and MBA program in your essays and interview.

We recommend that you register for a visit through the admissions department, but if no class visits are listed as available you can contact any of our admissions vice presidents and we can arrange to take you to one or more classes with us. We can also meet with you for lunch or to answer any questions you have about the MBA admissions process. The admissions department also offers information sessions, which are worth attending if they fit your schedule.

A visit is not a requirement for admission—several of us never visited HBS prior to arriving for classes this fall, and others did not visit until coming to Boston to interview with admissions. Geography obviously plays a role—if you are deployed, stationed overseas, or on the west coast, you will have a harder time planning a visit than an applicant from the east coast. Based on last year’s trend, most military applicants who interviewed did not have the option of interviewing at a hub location—our only options were on campus at HBS or via Skype or satellite phone. Given that fact, you may choose to delay visiting until you find out if you are selected for an interview. If that is the case, we recommend you schedule an on-campus interview at a day and time that would allow you to spend a half-day or a full day around campus prior to your interview.

Harvard Business School Veterans Community

The Armed Forces Alumni Association assists transitioning military veterans during their application process for Harvard Business School. AFAA also assists Veteran MBA candidates in their career development and provides a forum for HBS Veterans to build relationships with one another.

NEWS

Incoming RC's - Check frequently for updates as you leave the military and prepare for life at HBS. Subscribe to our twitter feed for real time updates on AFAA activities and summer opportunities.

The 2016 AFAA Retreat will be 10-11 September. Reach out for the details. We hope to see everyone there!